Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 47 A Worthy Opponent

"You filthy Rolling Dragon! As a top-tier imperial guard, how dare you resort to such despicable means, using hidden weapons to ambush and injure people? What kind of hero are you! Using hidden weapons is bad enough, but to feed them with deadly poison is even more shameful. Don't you bring shame upon your colleagues in the officialdom? Hand over the antidote now, lest you become a laughingstock!" Fragrant Fist walked up to Rolling Dragon and shouted. Rolling Dragon gave a cold, eerie laugh: "I'll hand over the antidote, but I have one condition: who can defeat me? After defeating me, I will offer it to you with both hands!" Fragrant Fist scolded: "Since you are so presumptuous, perhaps my sect leader should teach you a lesson on behalf of the old man Sword Poetry!" Just as she was about to make her move, she suddenly heard a woman's voice behind her say: "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Sect leader, let me handle this!" Turning around, she saw Wing Chun Fist walking in from outside. Approaching her, she whispered, "The soldier who went to inform the emperor has returned. He and Zhang Kuang were whispering amongst themselves for quite a while, both of them looking malevolent. It seems the emperor didn't agree to let us proceed with the funeral, and the soldiers are about to make their move!" Xiang Quan calmed herself and thought for a moment, then whispered, "This is what I expected. It seems the situation is urgent now. You don't need to linger; we need to finish this quickly. Kill him if necessary!" Yong Chun Quan nodded, stepped into the fighting circle, and coldly said to Gun Di Long, "Shall we begin?" Gun Di Long suddenly launched a back sweep kick, but she dodged it with a leap, followed by a "Looking Back at the Moon, Piercing Heart" punch. The force was fierce, and it seemed about to touch her soft breasts when a sharp pain shot through her wrist—Wing Chun Quan's jade palm had struck her pulse point! Seeing her agility, Gun Di Long resorted to his old trick, performing eighteen rolls on the spot, and began his grand finale—the rolling millstone!

"You know what, this kid's fat as a pig, but he's surprisingly agile!" Hung Kuen exclaimed in admiration. Heung Kuen pondered, "Actually, to counter that move, you need a long-range attack!" Hung Kuen suddenly realized and shouted, "Wing Chun! He's using his ultimate move, you should use your own! Use the rope dart!" Wing Chun, who was leaping and dodging, was overjoyed at this. He pulled out a rope dart from his waist, channeled his inner energy into his right arm, and with a flick of his wrist, a meteor shot out, repeatedly attacking the rolling dragon on the ground! The situation suddenly changed; the one being attacked became the rolling dragon. He no longer focused on rolling, only on dodging and escaping! Seizing the opportunity, Wing Chun executed a reverse lock, the rope dart following like a shadow, instantly swinging in the air and constricting the rolling dragon's neck! With a forceful pull, a large body weighing over 300 pounds was sent flying onto the bluestone floor of the hall, limbs in the air, like an upside-down turtle! The Wing Chun practitioner immediately rushed forward, stomping on his plump chest, and shouted, "Hand over the antidote!"

Rolling Dragon was suffocating from the rope of the dart, his eyes rolling back in his head, tears streaming down his face. He kept yelling, "Let me up! How can I get the antidote while I'm lying like this?" Wing Chun used his leg to help him stand up, but the rope remained tightly around his neck. He shouted, "Stop talking nonsense, hand over the antidote now, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Rolling Dragon had no choice but to take out a delicate little bottle from his waist, open the cap, and pour out a pink pill, saying, "Let him take this, and he'll be cured in a moment!" Wing Chun took the pill, and Mo Quan rushed over to take it from Liu Quan and fed it to him. After a short while, Liu Quan vomited a mouthful of dark blood, slowly regained consciousness, looked down at his wound, and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What's wrong? They say a man doesn't easily shed tears, why are you crying like this, a grown man!" Mo Quan looked at him, puzzled. Liu Quan said, heartbroken, "You have no idea what I'm going through! You wouldn't understand even if I told you, so it's better not to!" It turned out that he was well-versed in medicine and knew that even if his perineum was injured, he would never be able to have marital relations again! As a normal man, how could he not be heartbroken? He immediately took off his medical kit from his back, took out gauze and hemostatic ointment, and asked Mo Quan to remove the throwing knife and help him bandage his wound.

At this moment, Zhang Kuang walked over and whispered a few words in Bai Shandian's ear, causing Bai Shandian's expression to change drastically. After a moment of contemplation, he said to Xiang Quan with difficulty, "Quan'er, the Emperor has issued an edict: Xiang Quan, the leader of the Southern Fist Sect, and his six hall masters must immediately surrender and be treated leniently. Otherwise, they will be executed without mercy!" Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

The Wing Chun fighter cried out, "Rebellion! Rebellion! If not now, when?" With a powerful tug on the rope dart, a scream rang out, and the rolling dragon was instantly decapitated, blood splattering across the hall! Sword Poetry was shocked. With a clang, she drew her longsword and shouted, "You wretched woman! He gave you the antidote, why did you still take his life?" The Wing Chun fighter smiled coldly, "Let me ask you this: Of all things, the dead are paramount. Our Southern Fist Master and Madam have just passed away. We only wanted to hold a simple funeral for them, and then do with them as you please. But, did you hear what Lord Bai said? The current Emperor won't even grant us this small request! This is intolerable! What use is there in protecting such a heartless tyrant? We might as well rebel! Lord Sword, do you think we were wrong?"

Sword Poetry swiftly moved behind Kunlun, the one-man swordsman, and struck him twice on the back to release his pressure points. He said in a sinister tone, "For the sake of the court, we may have to go on a killing spree today!" Kunlun grabbed two golden maces from the ground and said viciously, "That young wench actually killed my second brother! I'm going to kill her to avenge him!" Yinshan Iron Shirt also stood up, his vicious gaze fixed on Liu Quan. Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two sides, and realizing a fierce battle was about to erupt, Bai Shandian quickly stepped forward and proposed, "Gentlemen, listen to me! To minimize unnecessary casualties, let's each select a master to engage in a fair duel through martial arts exchange. If the Southern Fist Sect wins, I, on behalf of the imperial court, will allow you to finish your funeral arrangements first! If our government wins, the Southern Fist Sect must unconditionally obey and cooperate with our soldiers, and immediately return to the General's Mansion for trial!" Upon hearing this, not only Xiang Quan and his group agreed, but even Jian Xia Shi and his companions nodded repeatedly: It seems Bai Shandian is still on our side! If we really engage in a chaotic battle, our Four Fiends from beyond the Great Wall have already suffered heavy casualties, and our chances of winning are truly not at all certain! If each side selects a master to participate, wouldn't Jian Xia Shi's appearance alone be enough to awe the entire audience and secure victory?

Zhang Kuang, his face contorted with misery, whispered to Bai Shandian, "My lord, the Emperor himself has issued an imperial edict. Is what you're doing... appropriate?" Bai Shandian deliberately raised his voice, "A general in the field may disobey the Emperor's orders! You can rest assured, if anything goes wrong, I, Bai Shandian, will take care of it!" Jian Xia Shi burst into wild laughter, saying, "Lord Bai, you're so generous! This old man has been waiting for you to say that! This old man will represent the official forces in this battle. Lord Bai, you have no objections, do you?" Bai Shandian smiled slightly, "This battle is of extraordinary significance; no one but Lord Jian is fit for it!" Seeing such high praise, Jian Xia Shi became even more smug. He strode into the hall and laughed, "There's a saying in the martial arts world: 'Swords reign supreme in the martial world, Southern Fist, Northern Leg, and Central Bagua. Sword energy seals the throat, leg pierces the heart, Bagua bewitches the soul, and Fragrant Fist kills!' This speaks of the four great families of the martial arts world. Sect Leader Xiang, you are also from one of the four great families, it's truly fate that we meet today. How about this, since it's such a rare opportunity to meet, how can we miss this great chance to exchange martial arts skills? Let's have a match. It'll be a meeting of equals, a true clash of titans!" Fragrant Fist giggled, stepped onto the stage, adopted a Southern Fist greeting stance, and said, "Please—" Without another word, she raised her fist to strike.

"Sect Leader Xiang, aren't you using a weapon?" Jianxia Shi's left arm suddenly blocked, and with a swift upward thrust of his sword, Xiang Quan flipped and dodged, landing lightly on the ground. Smiling, he said, "Senior, you've come from afar as a guest; how could I dare offend you? Besides, a simple spar is best left unsaid. I'll ask for your guidance empty-handed." Jianxia Shi laughed heartily, sheathing his sword with a whoosh, and said, "In that case, this old man can't use a weapon, lest I become a laughingstock among the martial arts world!" He then formed a sword with his fingers, slashing through the air with a faint sound of wind and thunder, striking like lightning. Xiang Quan slid and fell, instantly appearing behind him and delivering a deadly palm strike. What a poetic display of swordsmanship! Suddenly, he sprang up from the ground, flipped backward, narrowly dodging her palm strike, and appeared behind her with lightning speed. His halberd-like fingers transformed into a sword, and he thrust it fiercely towards Xiang Quan's vital point!